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<< PREVIOUS1 2 ON THE THRILLING DANGERS OF IMPROV COMEDY: I had a director at Second City who, on the very first night I performed there, said, ‘Learnto love the bomb.” I didn’t know what he meant for a long time. He said, “ I don’t mean, ‘Just sortof get over it and realize that tomorrow the show will be better,’ but LOVE it.” When I learned tolove the bomb, I knew I didn’t want to do anything else. That was also frightening, because Ithought, “OK, I’m totally committed now. I don’t think there’s anything else I could do.” And I hada little crisis of confidence once I knew there was nothing else in the world I wanted to do.Because I realized I had chosen something that’s damn near impossible to make a living at.

ON THE STRANGE CONNECTION BETWEEN IMPROVISATIONAL COMEDY AND RELIGIOUS HUMILITY:Stephen Colbert: One of the things that I like about improvisation is that,literally, there are no mistakes. There are only opportunities.

James Kaplan: You embrace the bomb.

SC: You embrace the bomb. And that idea is so appealing to me, because it’s alsoabout valuing suffering, and gratitude for bad things — because really, what’s the option? MotherTheresa said, “Smile and accept.” I love that.

IN THE TRAGEDY OF HIS FATHER AND BROTHERS’ DEATH: In a way that’s not easy to explain, I am grateful. I am grateful to be given the gift tohave seen [my mother] survive it and to have had the suffering myself, because there is no escapingsuffering. So you have to be grateful for it.

IN HIS BOYHOOD ESCAPE INTO FANTASY LITERATURE AND GAMES AFTER THE TRAGEDY: I loved it. I jumped right into that world, and I didn’t come back for a long time. Fromscience fiction I was introduced by friends to fantasy, and foundThe Lord of theRings a couple of years later. I was 13 before I readLord of the Rings. Then that was a whole other world. Then I started playingDungeons and Dragons. Boy, that was for me.

ON HISLORD OF THE RINGS OBSESSION:Stephen Colbert: I loveLord of the Rings. I’ve read it more times than I can name. I have no idea how many timesI’ve read it.

James Kaplan: Somebody said 40 someplace.

SC: I must have said 40 because I used to read it, and finish the last book, andstart the first one. There are such great role models in that book. Aragorn in the book especially.In the movie to a certain extent. But in the book, he’s an Apollonian ideal of a man. He is awarrior and a hunter and a poet and a scholar and a woodsman and a healer. Everything inmoderation, everything done beautifully. And a peacemaker… When I was in my twenties, I thought, “ That’s a good model.” I mean, not in any way that I base myself [on], but that’s a lovely message. ON HIS YOUTHFUL LOSS OF FAITH: The minute I went to college, I didn’t believe in God. The minute I had an opportunity tosort of be out from under the constant exposure to my faith, I accepted the opportunity to notbelieve. And I was very convinced of my atheism for a long time, and I was very depressed about it.I wanted very much to believe… I wanted the idea that I would see my father and my brothersagain, and it was heartbreaking to think that that wouldn’t happen. The fool says in his heart thatthere is no God, and I was sad to be that fool. I would rather have been a fool for God, but I wasso convinced that believing in God was foolish. There were five years maybe when I couldn’t thinkof why to get up. That wasn’t good. But the desire to believe always was there. The fact thatthread was never cut was helpful. Then one day, a Gideon gave me a Bible walking down a street inChicago….

ON HIS EGO:Stephen Colbert: I’ve got a big ego. I’m not going to say I’m a humble person. Icouldn’t do this job. But be humble enough to think that you might be wrong about being so right.You might be wrong about everyone else being so wrong.

James Kaplan: You do have a big ego, huh?

SC: Sure. I don’t think people can do this without an ego. You need it. I need tobe able to say on a daily basis, ‘The show will be this, the show will be that.” I have wonderfulpeople that I trust to make those decisions when it’s too much for me. But to create a show likethis, or to do any kind of performance, I think to do any kind of thing where you present yourselfor your work to the people, however much you may demur, you have an ego. Or else there’s not thatmuch to express. I get to piggyback my ego on my character’s ego, and pretend it’s only his.

JK: The world’s greatest cover.

SC: It is, isn’t it? And we have the same name.

ON HIS APPARENT LACK OF NEUROSIS: I probably am neurotic, but my particular neurosis is to choose to not be — which isprobably a very dangerous kind. [LAUGHS] It will all probably come down to me in one wild,inappropriate burst at some point in the future, and they’ll go, ‘I never saw it coming; he seemedso un-neurotic.” But I’ve got to tell you, when I don’t get to perform, I am probably moreneurotic. The weeks that we’re in here writing and not performing, which are supposed to be weeksoff essentially for me, are much harder for me than the weeks where I have to write and perform.Because I get that release, and I get to connect to the audience.

Behind the scenes with PARADE’s deputy photo editor, Misty Kurpier…

Where was the shoot location? The photo shoot was held at Splashlight Studios in NYC.

How long did the shoot last? The shoot took place from 9:00 am – 11:00 am.

What did he wear when he arrived? Stephen came to the shoot wearing jeans and a collared shirt.

What did he wear for the shoot? For the shoot he wore a variety of outfits…one was a blacksmith apron and wife beater,another was a ripped up suit and the last was more of a pristine suit that we used for the cover.

What was served? We had a lovely brunch. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, yogurt and granola were allserved.

What music was playing? A medley of 1980’s hits played throughout his shoot.

Who accompanied him to the shoot? Stephen’s publicist accompanied him to the photo shoot.

Did anything else newsworthy/interesting happen? Misty says: “He still had his cast on his wrist and lower arm! Truly a funny guy.“

<< PREVIOUS1 2 << PREVIOUS1 2 ON THE THRILLING DANGERS OF IMPROV COMEDY: I had a director at Second City who, on the very first night I performed there, said, ‘Learnto love the bomb.” I didn’t know what he meant for a long time. He said, “ I don’t mean, ‘Just sortof get over it and realize that tomorrow the show will be better,’ but LOVE it.” When I learned tolove the bomb, I knew I didn’t want to do anything else. That was also frightening, because Ithought, “OK, I’m totally committed now. I don’t think there’s anything else I could do.” And I hada little crisis of confidence once I knew there was nothing else in the world I wanted to do.Because I realized I had chosen something that’s damn near impossible to make a living at.

ON THE STRANGE CONNECTION BETWEEN IMPROVISATIONAL COMEDY AND RELIGIOUS HUMILITY:Stephen Colbert: One of the things that I like about improvisation is that,literally, there are no mistakes. There are only opportunities.

James Kaplan: You embrace the bomb.

SC: You embrace the bomb. And that idea is so appealing to me, because it’s alsoabout valuing suffering, and gratitude for bad things — because really, what’s the option? MotherTheresa said, “Smile and accept.” I love that.

IN THE TRAGEDY OF HIS FATHER AND BROTHERS’ DEATH: In a way that’s not easy to explain, I am grateful. I am grateful to be given the gift tohave seen [my mother] survive it and to have had the suffering myself, because there is no escapingsuffering. So you have to be grateful for it.

IN HIS BOYHOOD ESCAPE INTO FANTASY LITERATURE AND GAMES AFTER THE TRAGEDY: I loved it. I jumped right into that world, and I didn’t come back for a long time. Fromscience fiction I was introduced by friends to fantasy, and foundThe Lord of theRings a couple of years later. I was 13 before I readLord of the Rings. Then that was a whole other world. Then I started playingDungeons and Dragons. Boy, that was for me.

ON HISLORD OF THE RINGS OBSESSION:Stephen Colbert: I loveLord of the Rings. I’ve read it more times than I can name. I have no idea how many timesI’ve read it.

James Kaplan: Somebody said 40 someplace.

SC: I must have said 40 because I used to read it, and finish the last book, andstart the first one. There are such great role models in that book. Aragorn in the book especially.In the movie to a certain extent. But in the book, he’s an Apollonian ideal of a man. He is awarrior and a hunter and a poet and a scholar and a woodsman and a healer. Everything inmoderation, everything done beautifully. And a peacemaker… When I was in my twenties, I thought, “ That’s a good model.” I mean, not in any way that I base myself [on], but that’s a lovely message. ON HIS YOUTHFUL LOSS OF FAITH: The minute I went to college, I didn’t believe in God. The minute I had an opportunity tosort of be out from under the constant exposure to my faith, I accepted the opportunity to notbelieve. And I was very convinced of my atheism for a long time, and I was very depressed about it.I wanted very much to believe… I wanted the idea that I would see my father and my brothersagain, and it was heartbreaking to think that that wouldn’t happen. The fool says in his heart thatthere is no God, and I was sad to be that fool. I would rather have been a fool for God, but I wasso convinced that believing in God was foolish. There were five years maybe when I couldn’t thinkof why to get up. That wasn’t good. But the desire to believe always was there. The fact thatthread was never cut was helpful. Then one day, a Gideon gave me a Bible walking down a street inChicago….

ON HIS EGO:Stephen Colbert: I’ve got a big ego. I’m not going to say I’m a humble person. Icouldn’t do this job. But be humble enough to think that you might be wrong about being so right.You might be wrong about everyone else being so wrong.

James Kaplan: You do have a big ego, huh?

SC: Sure. I don’t think people can do this without an ego. You need it. I need tobe able to say on a daily basis, ‘The show will be this, the show will be that.” I have wonderfulpeople that I trust to make those decisions when it’s too much for me. But to create a show likethis, or to do any kind of performance, I think to do any kind of thing where you present yourselfor your work to the people, however much you may demur, you have an ego. Or else there’s not thatmuch to express. I get to piggyback my ego on my character’s ego, and pretend it’s only his.

JK: The world’s greatest cover.

SC: It is, isn’t it? And we have the same name.

ON HIS APPARENT LACK OF NEUROSIS: I probably am neurotic, but my particular neurosis is to choose to not be — which isprobably a very dangerous kind. [LAUGHS] It will all probably come down to me in one wild,inappropriate burst at some point in the future, and they’ll go, ‘I never saw it coming; he seemedso un-neurotic.” But I’ve got to tell you, when I don’t get to perform, I am probably moreneurotic. The weeks that we’re in here writing and not performing, which are supposed to be weeksoff essentially for me, are much harder for me than the weeks where I have to write and perform.Because I get that release, and I get to connect to the audience.

Behind the scenes with PARADE’s deputy photo editor, Misty Kurpier…

Where was the shoot location? The photo shoot was held at Splashlight Studios in NYC.

How long did the shoot last? The shoot took place from 9:00 am – 11:00 am.

What did he wear when he arrived? Stephen came to the shoot wearing jeans and a collared shirt.

What did he wear for the shoot? For the shoot he wore a variety of outfits…one was a blacksmith apron and wife beater,another was a ripped up suit and the last was more of a pristine suit that we used for the cover.

What was served? We had a lovely brunch. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, yogurt and granola were allserved.

What music was playing? A medley of 1980’s hits played throughout his shoot.

Who accompanied him to the shoot? Stephen’s publicist accompanied him to the photo shoot.

Did anything else newsworthy/interesting happen? Misty says: “He still had his cast on his wrist and lower arm! Truly a funny guy.“